Nexus
by ShadowArchon456
Summary: After a horrendous event, a thing from another dimension grants power to a bullied girl thrust into a mess of a locker. Except, instead of a shard from a giant space-whale, a storm outside of space and time has done the deed. With voices in her head and a plethora of power sets now at her fingertips, Taylor is thrust into the cape world of Earth Bet as a Hero of the Storm.
1. Chapter 1

(Warning: This chapter does include a graphic description of a gory nature. I've marked the start and end of that scene with a W in parenthesis.)

A roar of thunder echoed within the school as I made my way through the empty halls. We had maybe fifteen minutes before the teachers sent someone to the bathroom to check on us. Today of all days was the worst possible time for a freak blizzard to hit the Bay. Well, blizzard or thundersnow. I always get those two mixed up…

"Emma, why are we letting Hebert out? We planned this for fucking months."

I let out a frustrated sigh. "Soph, I can't control the weather. Humiliating Taylor is one thing. Leaving her here while everyone's trying to get home during this storm?" I grimaced. "With how bad it is, if she gets left in there for a few days while the school is closed and gets hurt," _Or worse._ "It'll attract too much attention. It's not just a simple prank we can brush away anymore, especially with you on probation." I smiled at her. "Besides, if we _rescue_ Taylor, who's going to believe, we were the ones to put her in there? We put the blame on someone else, everyone in school follows our lead, and we're off scott-free." I leaned over and whispered close to her, "I'm sure it'll even earn you some brownie points with the PRT acting as a _model Ward_."

Sophia face screwed up in anger as it usually did when the PRT came up. "Oh fuck that. I don't care what they think about me, but… fine." Her face went to a neutral expression. "Less heat's better right now. Wish we could just leave the worthless bitch. Do you know how much time it took to get all that trash together?"

I simply rolled my eyes. As we were getting closer to where Taylor's locker was, I noticed how… silent it was. Shouldn't she be screaming still like she was this morning? I expected her to still be banging on the locker doors to have someone let her out…

"Soph, shouldn't Taylor be making some kind of noise?"

Sophia merely snorted. "Maybe she passed out."

…a bit of worry wormed its way into my heart before I slammed down on it. No… I don't care about her like that anymore.

As we turned the corner to Taylor's locker, I quickly covered my nose. "Ugh, it smells even worse than earlier."

Sophia merely laughed, unbothered by the smell. "Come on survivor, it's not that bad."

"You're only saying that because you've fought Mush before," I nasally retort.

She simply smiled a toothy grin at me.

CRACK-BOOM!

I screamed as light flashed through the hallways from the windows, and the sound of _very close_ thunder rammed into my ears as it shook the school. It took a few seconds to calm myself, and while Sophia looked fine, I could see it surprised her too.

Slowly, we both began to chuckle as we shared a glance. "That was close."

BOOM!

We stopped laughing when the next one hit.

CRACK!

By the next one we were on the floor covering our heads.

BOOM!

And by the one after that I was screaming. With my ears covered, I could only watch as a bolt of lightning entered in through the windows and slammed right into Taylor's locker. I slammed my eyes shut as the bright light blinded me. But even with my ears and eyes covered, I felt it happen again and again and _again_. The noise and force paralyzed us, and I tried my best to keep the light and noise out.

What the hell was happening?!

The lightning kept coming, and the thunder buffered over us as I shrank on myself to create a lower profile. The frigid air soon became warm, then hot, and then finally scorching.

After a dozen strikes I couldn't help but morbidly count them out, but when I felt my skin start to burn, I lost count somewhere around the fifties. At that point, I tried my best to scoot away from the hellish scene even if it was at a snail's pace. I only managed a few feet by the time the lightning ended. I waited there for a few moments, before slowly opening my eyes and letting my hands slump from my still ringing ears.

I heard a mumble behind me as I stood up. I turned, seeing a small crowd of school faculty and even some students running towards me. They weren't mumbling, from how wide their mouths flapped I could tell some of them were yelling, but I still could barely hear them over the ringing in my head.

Either they heard me screaming or... for some reason ran towards the strange lightning barrage. In a daze I noticed Mr. Gladly get closer to me, saying something rapidly… but the words were indistinct. The other people were talking too, but I still couldn't hear them.

There was a small thud… and they stopped talking and merely looked with wide eyes behind me. The molten remains of what was once Taylor's locker door fell to the ground… and she stepped out with nary a scratch. Not even a stain from the gunk we left in her locker was on her clothes. I couldn't even smell it anymore, my nose stuffed with the scent of ozone.

Then out of my confusion, it finally hit me.

Oh. Oh god. Taylor's a cape… I… I made Taylor a cape. Slowly I stepped back a bit and glanced towards the now shattered and somewhat melted window. The lightning… it had to be her… Oh god. I turned back to her, as she slowly took a shaky step forward towards us, glancing down at her hands. She slowly raised her hands and then gripped her face in a vice. She started to say something to herself, but I couldn't hear her, the ringing still drowning everything out. A few people walked around me, and were trying to talk to Taylor. Mr. Gladly was one, and Mrs. Knotts another. I even saw one kid (Timmy? Tommy?) recording her on his phone.

Before anyone could get too close to her, I saw a sprinkle of confusion on her face, her hands limply slipping back down to her sides, and then she said one word.

Another bolt of lightning, this one blood red, slammed down, everyone backing away from her in a hurry! Instead of coming through the window, it came _through_ the roof of the building, going straight into her. I saw the strange electricity cover her, dancing between her limbs and body, her fingers infused with the crimson energy. Then suddenly… it just cut out. Her eyes went wide, and she immediately kneeled down, a hand to her mouth as if she were about to puke.

(W)

A spew of blood came out of her mouth, and in her reddened palm… I saw her teeth… _all of her teeth._ She looked up at me, her mouth full of bleeding gums, and simply stared into my eyes in terror.

Then black _fangs_ came out of the empty sockets in her mouth, and she began to scream. She wasn't the only one. The only one I think who wasn't screaming was me. I just stood there… staring at the sight in front of me and unable to force my eyes away.

Blood began to gush in torrents as the fangs finished fitting into place, her jaw shifting and changing. More crimson fluid began to pour from her nose and ears as her skin began to _boil, _pieces of her hair falling out in big clumps. Her eyes began to glow with a fiery orange light then burst into flames, and with a grisly pop, her glasses shattered. The only thing I could see from them now were those burning lights coming from empty eye sockets, the fire now spreading to the remnants of her hair.

Her scream transitioned into a monstrous roar, as I saw the orange light again, this time from the back of her throat. Another roar came to life as her left shoulder exploded in a gush, a new glowing pit of a mouth ringed with even more black fangs forming there, then another roar as her right shoulder followed suit.

Soon enough the roars were all I could hear as it drowned out everything, including the ringing in my head. I couldn't even hear the nearby remaining windows shattering, but I felt the flicks of a cut here and there as the glass pieces showered down around me. Even the concrete floor beneath me began to crack, as my ears suddenly felt wet.

The roars from all _three_ of her mouths died out as she bent over with her hands on the floor, her horrifying mess of what was once a face hidden from view. Drips of what looked like molten metal fell to the floor. Even underneath her baggy clothes, I could see her back bubble and pop like her face. Then like swords slicing through flesh, I saw black horns lancing out of her back, ripping her sweater to shreds, before settling behind her like some kind of demonic set of wings. Past that, below the small of her back, a draconic tail began to form.

All of her hair was gone by this point, but the fire remained. More horns grew in to replace her missing locks. Two smaller horns were going straight up into the air, while two larger ones were branching out wider, going up in a diagonal fashion. Just like her teeth her nails were replaced with black talons, her hands exploding into huge monstrous claws. Black spikes formed out of each of her forearms and went past her hands, digging effortlessly through the school's floor as they grew longer and more vicious.

That's when she started getting bigger. What was left of her skin began to rip as if she was a molting snake. In most of the gaps of her tearing flesh I saw a mix of red and black tissue. In others I saw more of that hellish light, unnatural vents oozing with a molten glow. Two new arms ruptured from her sides, more blood pooling to the ground. The second pair of arms was smaller than her current claws but still bigger than normal human ones. Soon, she was nearly twice her former size, and she kept getting bigger. Almost nothing was left of the original Taylor, just scraps of clothing and small pieces of discarded skin dressed over what looked more and more like a demon from hell.

Finally, she stopped growing, surrounded by a giant stain of fresh blood, large rolls of shed skin, and bubbling discarded fat. Something fell to the ground beneath her. As I looked, I saw Taylor's nose, empty eyelids, and her wide mouth stuck in a rigor of horror all in a mess of ripped skin on the floor staring back at me….

_'Her face was off. Her face was…' _She began to stand up, getting off her knees and onto her new hooves. Then she looked up and…

(W)

I stared into the face of the devil. Nothing human was left, just a pure demonic face that screamed evil. It opened its molten light for eyes, and stared right back at me.

**_TERROR_**

A feeling of pure horror knocked me down to the ground on my butt. I…I couldn't do anything, nothing but shake in fear as I stared at the _thing _in front of me.

It stopped rising as the horns and spikes it had as 'wings' ripped into the ceiling. If it stood up to its full height, its head would be on the second floor of the school. So it simply hunched itself over, almost going on to all fours.

It spoke, but… I couldn't hear it. I couldn't… I couldn't hear anything! It shuffled a bit closer._ 'No… no… Please stop! Go away! I can't…'_

It tilted its head, like a confused dog, and then its eyes brightened.

**_'Emma?'_**

A deep voice spoke to me, a bestial voice that only had the barest trace amounts of Taylor's own within it. Beneath it all, I could hear nothing but a chorus of screams. But it wasn't my ears hearing her… It was my mind.

Thoughts of the Simurgh forced themselves into my head. '_No… Oh god… No…'_ Is this what people felt like when hearing _that _song?

For a second, its mouth twitched. It tilted its head in the opposite direction. _'__**You're afraid of me…'**_

I wanted to laugh, but the sheer mind numbing terror made that impossible.

'**_And your fear…'_** It started sniffing.**_ 'I can… taste it?' _**Molten metal like liquid began to pour out of its maw like drool. '**_It tastes… good, Emma.' _**It took a step closer, the rising motion ripping more of the ceiling apart.

_'Get away from me! Get away!' _

**_'No… I don't think I will.'_**It shivered. '**_You can't imagine how good it feels, Emma! If only you knew how tastes your fear! Fear of me… Fear of pain …. Fear of death… Fear of being weak… Fear of…_****' **It stopped, and simply stared at me again, its eyes beginning to glow even brighter. **_'…being like me?! Like me after my Mom died!?'_**

Suddenly, I wasn't on the floor in the middle of one of Winslow's hallways with a demon in front of me. I was on the hard floor of a familiar alleyway, surrounded by ABB thugs. They all looked like Sophia in her breaker state, but more solid and with glowing eyes. They started to move towards me.

I shook my head. _"_No… this isn't real. This isn't happening!" I let out a hysterical laugh. "This can't happen again. Not again. Not again!"

One of the thugs pushed me to the ground, and straddled me, pinning me in place with their weight and my crazed laughing stopped dead. I couldn't force them off me, they were too strong! When I tried to back my face away from them, they simply yanked my head up by my hair, and put a blade against my throat. I stared at them, and even with their features hidden in black shadows, I could recognize that face anywhere from my nightmares.

I let out a sob. _'I'm stronger now! I'm strong, not weak! Don't put me back here! Don't make me like that again! Don't! Please! I'll do anything! Please!' _

_'__**You'll do anything? Like what?'**_

My face paled as I simply froze up as both the current nightmare and my memories became one.

**_'Then it's the face after all.' _**Just like last time, the blade moved across my face, a steely kiss on each part as they went. '**_Nose… Eye… Mouth… Pick.'_**

I _screamed_. My eyes darted around. I spotted the figure I was desperately looking for on top of dad's car, just like back then! "Sophia, save me! _Please! I can't do this again!_"

The thug turned to look where I called, and jolted back to me, their eyes wider. Suddenly I was back at Winslow, the demon once again looming over me, as I let out incoherent sobs and hiccuping screams.

**'****_Sophia… is Shadow Stalker,' _**it growled. **_'Our friendship was ruined… because of her. Because of your fear of being weak… you modeled yourself after her, lying to yourself, faking your hatred of me until it took root and became truth.' _**

W-What?

'**_Confused? I can hear your thoughts and read your soul. Your hatreds, your fears, your acts of destruction, your anguish and pain, your lies, and even your sins; all of it, every single misdeed and insecurity is laid bare before me now, Emma! Not only the whats, but the whys as well. Because… yes,' _**It began to nod to itself. **_', I am those very things made incarnate now, aren't I?' _**

It simply stared at me, and then looked past me. I followed its gaze now seeing the group of people I had nearly forgotten. Most of them were clutching to the sides of the hall, either staring at the beast in catatonic horror or closing their eyes as if they could simply pretend it wasn't there. A few of the students though, even shaking in fear had their phones out recording the monster.

It ignored them all. It was looking for someone specifically… but Sophia wasn't there. Where did she go? Why… Why did she leave me here with this _thing_? It turned back to me, and the light from its mouth glowed brighter.

_'__**I know the truth, betrayer. You can no longer hurt me anymore. I now know the true depths of your soul. Fake it until you make it, huh? How pathetic…' **_It closed its eyes. '**_I can finally get payback for all you did to me. I could make you relive your worst fears again and again, give you pain unimagined, or simply rip you apart with my—' _**

It stopped, and then shook its head. '**_What… what was I saying? No I don't…' _**It gripped its face. '**_Be quiet. I'm not…'_** It stepped back. '**_I said shut up! I'm not going to hurt anyone! I'm not going to become like them! Or you!' _**

A small misty black thing slammed into the demon's face… and then harmlessly fell to the ground. My eyes glanced over it and widened when I saw it was one of Sophia's bolts, one that had just been_ intangible_… and _had bounced off the demon_. The devil stared down at it and then stared back up its eyes glowing brighter. Another bolt slammed into its face and once again fell to the ground, leaving the monster unharmed.

I turned back and saw a few dozen feet away Sophia as Shadow Stalker. While her mask gave her a stern visage, I could see her hand with the crossbow trembling. My eyes snapped back to the devil.

It stepped forward, its jaw opened wide with flames and lightning spilling forth. It was going to attack Sophia, and Sophia couldn't even scratch it! It…no Taylor was going to kill Sophia! And… and it's my entire fault isn't it? Oh god… oh god… What have I done?

Immediately its jaw snapped shut, and it took a step back, its eyes swiveled back to me, almost as if in shame. It looked down at itself, looking over its claws as if seeing what it was for the first time, and then shuddered. Immediately it turned and ran _through_ the wall to the outside. The wall was ripped apart, pieces of debris going everywhere, the storm outside now blowing into the school, but the devil… Taylor didn't stop. It… she… just kept running, a flaming set of footprints following her across the snow…

* * *

AN: Had this idea in the back of my head, and in a bid to get out of my funk with my grandma's passing and back into writing Let's Play A Game, I decided to belt it out real quick. I've checked it over a few times myself, but didn't want my betas to worry too much about going over it, so if there are errors, let me know. If anyone wants to be a beta for this story, also let me know.

Hopefully _that_ scene wasn't too graphic for people, but, hey, demon transformations and exploding blood tumors go hand in hand. I did have it content reviewed on Spacebattles, and I do have approval from a few of the Amicus. Thanks guys! I'm _assuming_ that means it should be okay for SV, but *crosses fingers* If anyone thinks even with the warning it's a bit much, let me know. Of course it should be fine on FFN, I've seen heaps worse there.

Yes, Taylor is now The Prime Evil, with all seven devils whispering into her ear on what she could do and how she should act, but that's not the extent of her full powers. We'll get into that later.

I know Emma calling Sophia "Soph" as a nickname is not in canon, but I liked the idea of it. And yes, it's _technically _if you squint your eyes and tilt your head a reference to Halloween Town.

Hopefully I can update this one a bit sooner than I normally do with my other stories (ha), but I do want to get back to my Gamer fic since I have two chapters in progress for it. Good news is without a giant spreadsheet, it should be much easier to pump chapters for this out when the muse hits me upside the head.


	2. Chapter 2

Nexus – Chapter 2

The asphalt under my hooves cracks and ignites as I charge through different streets. Hooves… I have hooves now. A glance into the nearest second-story window shows a demonic reflection staring back at me. I snap my head away from it, focusing forward. I have to keep going. I can't… I can't stop and think about this.

If I do… I'll get lost in the madness again. Already I can feel it crawling inside me, things… _changing_. The demonic body that horrified me mere minutes ago is now pleasing to my sight. I know that's wrong. That's not me… but the feelings I have won't stop, and they're getting worse.

Even now, the memories of how I tortured Emma with her own fears and past traumas fills me with exquisite delight and a bit of annoyance that I stopped before I broke her entirely. The guilt and disgust I had when I snapped out of it has already faded.

But what do I do? I can't go to the Protectorate. _Hess_ attacked me, their darling little _Ward_, and even with Belial on my side, I know they'll believe her lies over my own as they always have. No, no, no… truth, I'd tell them the truth, not deceptions… I have to focus.

For both their sake and mine, going to the Protectorate is a bad idea. It would easily escalate into a fight and even as amusing as the thoughts of their bodies broken at my feet… No. No… stop it! No, I won't do that!

'_Why do you fight child? You are a Prime Evil now. Give into your nature, your hatred, and the struggles that have ailed you will end,' _a chilling and heart-piercing voice speaks.

No… The voices are back!

A dark laugh echoes around me. '_You could destroy them all you know! Those who mocked you, those that hurt you, and even those fools that stood by and let it all happen! You could repay them all tenfold! A hundred! You could make them all burn in agony, rip them apart piece by fleshy piece, or even make them explode into a delectable red mist! You're our little sister now! We can't let those that hurt you get away with it!' _More and more laughter echoes.

The beast spoke next. '_You can give them so much pain! Make their screams into song, and twist their bodies into art!' _

I don't want to hurt anyone!

'_Oh? Then why did the anguish of that little maggot make you happier then you've been in years?' _an acidic female voice questions.

That was you, not me!

'_But you are like us now.' _Horrors upon horrors flash through my head: the wonderful smells of burning flesh as a city of mortals burn, the pleasant noise of skulls cracking and shattering as my claws squeeze them to dust, and the refreshing sensation of fresh blood dripping down my skin as the choir of screams reaches an artistic crescendo. More and more bombard me. I cling to the disgust, but… part of me wants _more_. _'You enjoy indulging in sin. There is no shame in it.' _the deep gravelly voice states.

I do my best to ignore them. I'm losing myself again. I can't give in. I won't! I focus on other memories, my memories: Mom teaching me how to play her flute. Her reading Little Women to me as I fall asleep in her lap. Dad taking me to the Franklin Park Zoo and showing me the Barn Owls. Him giving me a piggyback ride on the Boardwalk with cotton candy in my hand. Emma… Emma helping me build a pillow fort in her living room.

'_Happier times indeed._' _Mom_'_s _voice spoke. _'Back when you were surrounded by love.'_

Stop it! Fucking stop it! I know it's you Belial!

'_Love that you no longer have.' _My own memories are thrown back at me: Mom's funeral, Dad's negligence, and Emma's betrayal. '_But you don't need love to be happy Taylor. You have us now. No one can stop you from being happy ever again.' _The devils' memories came back full force. '_Embrace what you now are Taylor and be true to your new self. When the Burning Hells overrun this earth, you'll never be unhappy again…' _

Shut up! Shut up! You don't get to use her voice! These things don't make me happy!

'_Oh Taylor… why do you lie to yourself?' _

I said shut up!

Then _it_ spoke. '_You're afraid of us. Of yourself. Of what you can do. Of what you will do.'_

Of course I am! If I let any of you have your way, I'd… I'd have killed Emma and Hess… and it wouldn't stop there! I'd kill everyone I could, just for the fun of it! I'd become the next Endbringer, and I wouldn't wait three fucking months between attacks!

'_True. You are the harbinger of Hell on this pitiful world. But you can't run from us forever, Taylor. You can't hide from your own mind. From your own soul.' _

I can fucking try!

'_You'll fail.' _Memories of a child, a warrior, and a young woman enters my mind. '_Just as they did. Worse than they did in fact. You're not a host to be used. You're one of us now. Your humanity will fade in time, and all that'll be left is the demon you're becoming. Fighting it will only prolong your suffering. The only way you'll have peace… is to give in. Give in to the Terror you can become, and you'll never be afraid of anything again. It's the only way.'_

I stop listening to The Seven in my head, I try to drown them out with my better memories… but compared to theirs, my memories are becoming stale. There's are just… so much more _exciting_ and the feelings they _invoke_… I'm losing myself and something darker is filling the void, and I can't stop it!

I wanted to have powers… but not like this! Never like this! Powers are suppose to help you! Give you ways to make something of yourself! Give you control over your life! They aren't supposed to take everything that makes you _you_ and twist it into…_ this_! This… this is a nightmare! What am I going to do? What am I going to-

My thoughts pause as I hear a bang and feel a tap against my head. Another bang and tap makes me halt my charge entirely. I hear a metallic noise similar to someone dropping a coin on the floor, and look down. Two flat scrunched-up metal discs are bouncing and spinning on the asphalt. I look over to where the bangs came from and see a shaking police officer pointing a gun at me.

I try not to look into his soul… but I can't help myself. It's just _so simple._ I read over his life, read over his sins, and all the places I could poke to corrupt him are given to me.

Matthew Brown's sins are so light compared to Hess's murders. There's still patches of black though, all tinged in Wrath. In a more civilized town he'd probably be punished for it, but people turn a blind eye to police brutality when the victims are gang members.

The Wrath goes so deep it even colors his deepest Fear. He's afraid he'll hurt his wife and children in the heat of rage. The mortal's even sworn to himself he'd put a bullet in his head if he ever crossed that line. He goes to anger management and he's even talked to his wife about his fears, but he feels like at any moment, he could go over the precipice. It would… be so _easy_ to push him over it. Should I have him kill himself, his family, or just as many people as possible?

I shake my head. I have to focus, and not… not think about having fun like that. Oh… oh god I actually think it'd be fun... Distraction! I need a distraction! So I speak the first thing that comes to mind.

"**Why did you shoot me?" **I ask, already knowing the answer from the smell of his Fear.

The Officer's pants noticeably darken, and liquid begins to drip down his shoes. I just made a cop piss himself by talking… Well, at least he's not having a heart attack. Though it _would _be easy to… No, none of that. He opens his mouth a few times, but can never find what words to say… so I decide to continue for him.

"**Are you going to shoot me again?" **

His head slowly moves shakingly left, and then right.

"**Good." **I look over him one more time. I could… I close my eyes. Don't think about him. I turn away from the pathetic man, and begin running again. As I get further away, I can hear him finally speak something into his radio, but at this point I don't care enough to focus on it.

The Seven try to say things to me, needle me into compliance, but I tune them out, focusing my attention solely on the world around me. The blizzard has practically disappeared since I left Winslow. I feel and taste the wonderful Fear of those that see me, and hear the delectable screams of people when their Fear gets too much for them. I know if I focus on it, I could likely feel the Fear of everyone in the city… but if I do that I'll be overwhelmed by simply gorging on it.

I… I need someplace to be alone. If I stay here… a lot of people will get hurt if I give in. Maybe… maybe I can find someway to control this part of myself. I turned into this demon, I should be able to turn back, right? I mean, Monster Capes are normally stuck with their new forms… but this is different, isn't it? Those Capes lose their old memories. They don't gain new ones, right? Right?

What if… what if after all the old memories go stale… what if I forget them? What if I forget being Taylor? What if all that's left is the Demon? No! No… I can't think like that. I need to keep going.

So… the Boat Graveyard it is. I'll cut through the Docks, and once I'm there and get control of this power, everything… everything will be fine. It has to be fine. It has to!

Just focus on the steps you make. One after another. Don't think about the screams. Don't think about their tasty Fear. Don't think about the memories. Just keep going.

* * *

Almost there. Just a few more blocks and I'll be alone, and everyone will be safe… from me. A few more steps. Just count them out and everything will work out-

I turn a street, and see a wall of people with guns pointed at me. At their front is a tattooed man, his eyes staring at me through a metal dragon's mask.

-just ...fine. My charge slows into a gait as I stare at the ABB army pointing guns at me.

That's… that's Lung. A man suddenly appears next to him out of thin air, wearing a mask that's anemic compared to my own demonic face. He's holding a knife and is kitted out with an entire belt of grenades. And that's… Oni-Lee.

I stop a good distance from them as I look _down_ at Lung who's not even at half my height. I stare at his goons, focus a bit on Oni-Lee, and then back to Lung. Everyone behind him is terrified of me… but they fear Lung more… _for now_.

Lung, or Kenta, isn't afraid of me. He's afraid of losing control, of seeing everything he built slipping through his fingers. He's also afraid of Leviathan. He doesn't see me as something to fear. He sees me as… an opportunity? _I should fix that. _Stop! No. I'm too close now. I can't give in now.

I look over at Oni-Lee again. Lee… Lee's empty. There's… almost nothing there. He has no fear, no hate, no lust, no greed… He has an aversion to pain… but it's so mild and watered down compared to true fear that… it's rather unnerving. He doesn't even remember his own name as Shinji. That's not the worst of it. His soul is different… Most are inside a person's body, connected to their brain and nervous system like an invisible organ. Lee's isn't even in his body anymore. It's dangling behind him and floating in mid air, hanging onto his body by thin threads, like a fabric that's been pulled and stretched beyond its limit. He wasn't always like this either… is this what all sociopaths looked like, or was this something special? Hmm… it's not as fun when they're already broken.

I shiver. I can't think like that. I have to get away now! I focus on the leader of the ABB and try to speak as Taylor, and not as a Prime Evil, my words coming out precise and slow. **"I… I don't want to fight. I merely wish to be alone. I need to go to the Graveyard past your territory. Let me pass… please?" **For both of our sakes.

Lung laughs, and soon the entire gaggle of his soldiers start to laugh, if a bit awkwardly, with him. Oni-Lee is silent. "A devil with manners?" He scans me up and down. "At first it was hard to believe a teenage girl was under there, but as soon as you open your mouth…" He shakes his head.

"**How did you-" **

"The whole city knows by now, _girl_." He snaps his fingers. "Show her." A young boy in the crowd slowly walks toward me. Wait… I 've seen him before at school. A glimpse into his soul confirms it. Daniel is in Mrs. Knott's class. He's ABB? He pokes a bit at his phone, and then turns it to me. On it is a video of me turning into a demon, with "Case 53?" and my name in the title…

"So you understand your predicament." I turn away from the video announcing the fact I have powers to the world, and look back at Lung. "It's… quite unfortunate for your trigger event to be public, _Taylor._" The way my name rolls off his tongue disgusts me. I should _rip it out. _

I focus off of that for a second. **"What's a trigger event?" **

He laughs again, a bit more hollow. "You don't know anything about being a cape do you? Let me hazard a guess that this is the worst day of your entire life?"

I slowly nod. **"It's not every day you become the devil, yes."**

"That's all there is to it. You had the potential for powers. All it takes is something horrible to happen to you, and they awaken. You're now part of a very _exclusive _club now." He claps his hands together. "Congratulations. Now, let's talk about your _future_. Not even an hour after you get powers and your identity is already outed, and," He begins to laugh again, "a Ward has tried to kill you."

He shakes his head. "You're outed. People are interested in you now. It won't be long before someone targets your father to get at you. If the Empire gets a hold of him, they can hold him hostage and force you to work for them. If the Protectorate gets to him, you'd only see him after they arrest you."

He raises a finger. "But there is another option. Normally, I wouldn't be offering this to someone outside of our… _community_ here, but I'm feeling generous today." Some of his nearby goons look at Lung almost incredulously. Oni Lee doesn't so much as twitch. "You join me, you'll never have to worry about people using your father against you. With a devil and dragon working together, everyone will be too afraid of us to even think about touching a hair on his head. What do you say?"

He's… he's trying to _recruit _me? Lung… wants me in his gang? That's… huh. He's also lying. Partially, at least about the Protectorate. Something that he knows that I don't… I can only see lies though, I don't know what the truth is.

'_It doesn't matter what the truth is. You are meant to lead,Taylor, not serve_.' Images of vast armies came to mind. I could summon legions of them here at a moment's notice from Hell or even just _create _them by my mere presence alone. '_A Lord of Hell does not bow to a mere wyrm.' _

'_This one can regenerate, yes? So much pain we could inflict! Tear out his eyes, his tongue, and his limbs! Let them grow back, then do it again and again! How big of a pile could we make before he begs us to stop?'_

I don't think that's a good idea… Lung gets stronger the longer he has time to build up. He casually fights off the entire Protectorate line-up now and then! He's fought fucking Leviathan one on one before! He's the strongest cape in the bay!

'_The strongest mortal is no more threatening than the strongest ant.' _Memories of fights with angels and human champions are thrust into my mind. '_Your strength is greater than his by far.' _

Metallic scales appear to grow on Lung's chest, slowly covering his entire body in his power's armor. "Don't take too long to answer. My generosity and patience can only go so far."

I take a step back. If I… If I start to fight I'll…

The memories continue showing me exactly what I could do: spells, curses, elements, and more. Then I hear Mom's… Belial using Mom's voice to whisper in my ear. '_It wouldn't take much. If you wanted to get rid of him, he'd be dead in mere moments. You've been so afraid Taylor, afraid of who you'll hurt, but does he really deserve mercy? Look at his soul. See what he has done. Look at the murders and rapes he and his followers are responsible for. Look at all the lives that were ruined by his actions. We may be demons, but we are evil because we have no choice in the matter. It is in our nature. But… he's always had a choice, and look what he's done with it.' _

I feel a phantom hand caress my cheek. '_While we are… unknown in this world. You do have a being that is like us. The Devil. Satan. Lucifer. Is it not his job to punish the sinners of this earth? To rule Hell and mete out damnation to those that are beyond redemption? And of those people, is Lung not one of them? Stopping him from hurting anyone else is entirely within your power. Even if you did so as you are now, as a demon, would that not be… heroic?' _A memory shoves itself to the front of my mind: of me wearing an Alexandria T-shirt as a child and gushing to my parents on how much I wanted to be a superhero when I grew up.

'_The power to make your dream come true is right in front of you, Taylor. Embrace it.' _

There's a snap. Something slips away from me. The tension I had all morning melts away. I close my eyes and just breathe deeply as I feel the world settle into place. There is no more dissonance in my mind. I open my eyes and look at the fool before me.

Now what shall I do with him? I think over my options. It does not take long to pick one. Baal is particularly fond of it. I begin to quote my older brother.

"**I shall take your position… into consideration…"**

I do my best to smile at him, and I can see the men behind him flinch. The spell in my smaller hands takes shape, a dark cloud forms and flecks of orange light coalesce into being. Lung starts to snarl, and his growth accelerates as he sees my attack begin to wind up. His neck lengthens, his fingers burst into sharp claws, lumps begin to form on his back, and flames begin to come to life around him as he charges toward me … but the spell is ready before he can reach me.

I merely point at him, and the spell launches forward, two orange tendrils suffused in shadow; twisting and writhing like worms as they fly through the air. When they reach Lung, they go around him and rear up facing his back. Then they strike, slamming into him. Lung from the chest down begins to glow the same orange as the tendrils.

Immediately, the glowing parts of Lung _explode_ in a gush of blood! The upper torso falls in a wet splat onto the puddle of what was once his legs and intestines.

I simply look at what's left of Lung. **"Well, it seems your terms"** \- I start tapping my chin in thought - **"are **_**unacceptable.**_**" **

I laugh as his men scream.


	3. Chapter 3

Nexus - Chapter 2

I lurch in my seat as the car runs over another one of Taylor's hoof prints in the road. I grit my teeth and move the car to avoid hitting more of them as I follow her trail. I barely note that I'm going way above the speed limit, but I can't bring myself to care.

Seeing Taylor… _transform_ like that. Listening to her scream, watching her bleed and her body twist and contort on that damned video, which _spread like a fucking spectacle online._ Witnessing that happen to Taylor… even from just a video would haunt me for life. But those feelings at this moment don't matter. It's not about me. It's about her. She needs me _now_. I'll be damned if anyone stops me. Especially not after that _Ward_ attacked her.

Thankfully, she left a trail from Winslow that anyone could follow, starting at that hole she made in their wall... Of course, it's my luck that she had to be running _towards_ the Docks instead of to the house. If I didn't take Lord Street as I normally did, I might have met her half way, dammit!

The car careens around a corner as I make a screaming turn. _Blood._ My eyes widen as I slam on the brakes. The car comes to a screaming halt as I stare at where the trail of hoof prints ends and where a giant puddle of blood begins, resting in the middle of the street with bits and pieces of meat bobbing in it. A metallic and sickeningly sweet odor assaults my nose, and I can't help but slightly gag from the overpowering stench.

I don't actually see any bodies within the bloody pool, and the bits of meat floating in it aren't enough to be a whole person. What happened here? I tear my eyes from the horror show and look beyond it, my sight following a long uninterrupted streak of blood running from the puddle and going down the street, where it stretches around a distant corner.

Beyond the blood, there are numerous scorch marks, miniature craters, and bits of damage on the nearby buildings that remind me of explosives. The first thought that comes to my mind is cape fight. The second is Taylor fighting Oni-Lee… I stare back at the blood, remembering Taylor's gruesome transformation ending with a bloody stain_._

Quickly I slam on the gas, and do my best not to smell as I hear the splash of the wheels being painted red. I keep my eyes focused on the bloody trail, and hope Taylor isn't too badly hurt.

The trail keeps going, street after street marked with a line of fresh red. I idly think that any normal person would have bled out by now. There can't be this much blood in a normal person. But the blood just doesn't stop, and I'm not dealing with normal here…

Finally I leave the winding streets behind me as I follow the red carpet laid out before me leading into what used to be the heart of Brockton Bay's Docks. Soon, I'm off the asphalt and driving on the concrete of abandoned lots of the dockyards.

My eyes go from the trail on the ground and pan up to an enormous column of pitch black smoke rising into the sky from deep within the Boat Graveyard. The shifting mist moves slowly, twisting and undulating upon itself, as it climbs ever upward. There's a sense of wrongness as I stare, its unnatural movement telling me deep down that it's not smoke and whatever it is I should stay far _far _away and not take another step closer… but the trail of blood leads directly to it and where my daughter is, so I continue forward regardless.

As I creep closer and closer to the foreboding fog, a red blur suddenly blocks my path, buzzing back and forth! I slam on the brakes once again, afraid I'll hit whatever it is, but the blur easily zooms out of the way. The blur suddenly comes into focus outside my driver-side door, and in an instant, the hero Velocity is rapidly knocking on my window. I blink, and slowly lower it.

"Sir, I need to ask you to evacuate!" He fires off rapidly. "There's a…" He pauses for a short second, and then shakes his head. "There's a dangerous parahuman in the area up ahead and if you go any further, your life could be at risk. The rest of the Protectorate and the PRT are on their way to handle the situation. Everything's under control."

A Ward shoots my daughter this morning after she screamed in agony and _he says everything's under control?!_ I roughly shake my head. "No! I need to be here. I don't care if Oni-Lee is in there. My daughter needs me! What are you doing here? Haven't you noticed all the blood? Why aren't you helping her!?"

"That's not her…" The hero freezes. "You wouldn't happen to be a Mr. Hebert, would you?"

I stiffly nod. "My coworker showed me the damn video of my daughter that's plastered all across the internet. The one where your _Ward_-" Velocity winces, "-tried to _kill_ her after her body was ripped apart by whatever power she has! Why wouldn't I be here after that?!"

The hero takes a short breath. "Shadow Stalker… was not acting on behalf of the Protectorate when she attacked your daughter. She'll be disciplined for escalating the situation like that. However…" He pauses and then stares at the ground for a second. He then looks back up into my eyes. "Sir, the dangerous parahuman isn't Oni-Lee. He's already been…" He swallows, "neutralized." He closes his eyes. "As well as Lung."

I blink, and then heat floods my face. "What the hell are you implying!?"

He mumbles something unintelligible under his breath, staring at the streak of blood on the ground, before turning to me and replying. "Sir, trigger events, the moment when people get their powers, can be very traumatic and stressful."

"Like being shot in the head by a Ward with a crossbow bolt?!"

Velocity grits his teeth, and simply nods. "Being confronted by the ABB likely didn't help things either. For them or her..." Velocity shakes his head. "Your daughter is likely not in her right state of mind. It doesn't matter if you are her father or not. If you go any further, she may hurt you in her current… state."

"I'm her father. Are you suggesting I just sit back and do nothing?" I ignore the guilty pangs in my chest telling me that's all I ever did...

"Sir, I'm just advising you to let the professionals take care of this."

I hold back the venomous barb about how professional I think they really are and simply stare at the younger man. "Do you have any children?"

He blinks. "No?"

I nod. "Thought so." I floor it, and leave him behind. I see him in the rear view mirror start to blur, but then he stops, his hand going to his ear as he begins to speak. Then the black smoke swallows the view of the world behind me, and the light of day vanishes.

Suddenly it's dark as night. The dashboard lights up and my headlights come on. The darkness isn't just an absence of day though. The headlights barely illuminate the way in front of me, and at the edge of that vision, the darkness moves and skitters about as if it's alive.

A wall of white_ things _comes into view from the darkness in front of me, and I once again slam on the brakes! I come to a stop, and stare at the glistening white pillars a bit taller than I am. The trail of blood leads straight through here, so this must be the right way to go. There's a gap that I could move through on foot between the pillars, but there's no room for the car. I scan the area surrounding me, stacked abandoned cargo crates to the right and a dilapidated warehouse to the left blocks me from going around. I'd have to go back and find another way forward…

I shake my head. I don't know how long that would take, and this is the path Taylor took. Following it is the fastest way to get to her. I'm close now, and I don't even know what these white things are. I might be able to knock them out of the way, and if not, I could just cover the final stretch on foot.

I grab a flashlight from the glove compartment, and grab my keys. I quickly fumble with the flashlight as the headlights cut off, the world suddenly dark, but once I have the light in my hands on, I step out of the car. I pull my jacket tight around me, the world suddenly being much colder than it was moments ago. I take a moment to stare up… which was a mistake. _All_ I see is a black as night expanse with no star or moon to shine down on me. I take a few steps, still staring gobsmacked at the black void above me, and suddenly the ground squishes under my feet. A sloppy gurgle fills my ears. I look down at the concrete, a viscous black liquid oozing out between the cracks.

Gagging at its putrid vomit-like smell, I quickly step away from the disgusting sight and look back up at the… _fangs_. The white things are_ fangs glistening with fresh drool_. I'm so startled, I drop the flashlight! I stare down as my only source of light bounces on the concrete, and shows me something I didn't want to _see_. The flashlight on the ground perfectly illuminates the bottom of the giant teeth, and I can see they're all connected to giant fleshy gums, with a bit of that black liquid pooling in the broken up ground around them.

My eyes wide, I step back from the horror show. Thoughts of Bonesaw and Nilbog enter my head. Is my daughter a biotinker? Is she turning Brockton into the next Ellisburg? No… no, even if Taylor had that power, she'd never do that. Never… That's… not… not a possibility for her. That's not my Taylor. That is… if she's in _control _of her powers. My heart starts to beat rapidly. Her first day with powers, and it begins with her being ripped apart, attacked by a Ward, and then confronted by a gang…

I shake my head, reach down and pluck the flashlight back into my hand. I stare back at the biggest set of teeth I've ever seen in my life, their pointed ends facing towards the other side, the direction I need to go in. I breathe deeply and step on the giant pair of gums, squeezing my way between the fangs. Thankfully, neither the gums nor the teeth actually move when I touch them. The only reaction is the slight gurgle of fluids.

Once on the other side, I hear a loud rip and snap at my back! I turn… and see more fangs, covered in the same black fluid, fit into all the gaps. The way behind me is shut. I stare at it for a few moments, my heart ready to burst out of my chest. I take a few deep breaths, and turn around. The path of blood continues further on into the mist. I break out into a run, and follow it to my daughter.

The further I get along, the more the ground squelches underneath my feet. I can feel the drops of black liquid splattering on my shoes and pants, my nose clenched in my hand. I see the odd fang here and there, again, their points facing towards where I'm running to. Within the dark mists, I can hear the noises of the concrete shifting, the bubbling of fluid, and underneath it all a labored deep groaning. I push it out of my mind as hard as I can. I'd worry about the implications of all this once I knew Taylor was safe.

When I see the path of blood end at the edge of a trench, I stop. Beyond it, several runes and glyphs are marked into the concrete. With no path to follow, I simply continue forward. More sigils and runes coming into sight, each more elaborate and macabre than the last.

I come across a circle, and within it are the markings of seven faces. Three of them form an upside down triangle in the very center, and the other four form a square around the three. All of them depict a monster. The one at the bottom of the triangle resembles what Taylor turned into most.

What is this place? I was expecting a bio-tinker's fledgling lab… or Taylor in the middle of making some kind of creature. This is something out of Indiana Jones, like a temple or a tomb…

"**It's a gate." **A deep but _familiar_ voice answers from the mist.

The black mist parts around me, a light shining down from above. My blinking eyes slowly adjust and I can see a circle of blue sky above me, like the eye of a storm. I look around me and my heart stops for a second.

I'm in a giant circle filled with runes and markings, all connected to the smaller circle I now stand on. Large trenches run from the inner circle to the edges of the outer one, where they connect to giant fangs, much larger than the wall of teeth from before, their points all arching toward the center. Anchored to each tooth is a person, all ABB, the bone partially grown over them, holding them in place by their limbs.

"**Or to be more accurate, a mouth." **I turn towards the voice and see _her_ exit the boundaries of the mist surrounding this… ritual. She begins to circle around the teeth, not looking at me at all, her eyes more focused on the people she's captured.

"**Hello Father."** I freeze. Looking at her like this was much different than a mere video. Taylor had scared me before. Beyond what happened today, I was always scared of her getting hurt, of getting killed, or getting entangled in one of the gangs. I was even scared of hurting her in a burst of anger like my father did to me, but I was never scared _of_ her... like I am now. And that fear, it paralyzes me. I can't move. I can't even say anything!

I follow her gaze towards her captives. One of them is Oni Lee, holes punched in where his eyes would be. From the gouges a trickle of blood runs down his mask like crimson tears, his body twitching every now and then. Another is Lung, half of his body simply gone, bleeding from exposed organs and spine. It hits me. The blood I followed wasn't Taylor's… it _was Lung's._

My wide eyes turn to the rest of the captives. Both of the capes are the only ones unconscious. The rest are screaming and shouting… but no noise comes out of their mouths.

"**They were annoying me while I was getting everything ready, so I shut them up for the time being." **I feel the tremors from her steps vibrate through my body. **"I was too busy to truly appreciate it or make a proper choir, but that bit of fear when they realized they'd become mute… that was **_**priceless! **_**Still doesn't amount to the fear that came before that.**_**" **_

Her gaze peers over to the head of the ABB. _**"**_**Everyone was so afraid of Lung, and that goes especially for his little gang. Yet the moment I knock him down, the fear they felt for me… **_**Mmmm. **_**It became so much **_**more." **_Soon enough, she's right by him. _"_**Still, he was a bit of a**_** disappointment. **_**I thought I could just use him as a punching bag to get a full feel of my powers. But after that first hit… he's out for the count. His regeneration is apparently based on how far he ramps up. If he's got wings, you can rip out his organs all day and he'll just grow them back in seconds. If he looks more man than dragon and you rip off a leg or two?" **She growls, a claw pushes Lung's drooping head up by his chin so she can stare at his sleeping face. **"Apparently it'll take a month! It's been what? Fifteen minutes? **_**Maybe**_** thirty? And Lung's-" **She chuckles. **"- lungs are still exposed!" **She shakes her head. _**"**_**Even with his power focused solely on replacing his blood like this, I don't expect him to last the day. How pathetic." **

She turns to Oni-Lee. **"At least this broken one lived up to his reputation! He never once feared me. As soon as his master was down, he immediately attacked me with all he could. A shame I can teleport too, and unlike him, I don't **_**need**_** eyes to do it." **She laughs. Then she turns to one of the thugs. _**"**_**But these two aren't the guest of honor here." **She walks onto the circle itself, slowly gliding across the runes, her hooves carefully moving not to damage her work.

She walks to the side of the tooth holding the person of interest. He stares at her, pale and covered in sweat. He thrashes in his restraints and tries to scream, but he's unable to do or say anything. Two claws reach out to grab his head, almost fully enveloping him in their pinch. She forces him to look up at her piercing molten eyes. **"Hello Lao." **He goes tense and freezes.

Taylor face twists, and it takes me a second to realize she's smiling.** "It's a bit funny, isn't it? Before today, you probably never knew me. The name 'Taylor Hebert' would mean nothing to you. But, because of what you **_**did, **_**we are all here today." **His face scrunches in confusion and fear. I turn and see the rest of the thugs looking toward him both in morbid curiosity and blind accusation.

"**Does the name 'Emma Barnes' mean anything to you? No? A girl with red hair held down in an alley while you tell her to pick which body part your initiate Yan will remove?" **Emma? What does Taylor's old friend have to do with this?A brief bit of recognition bleeds through on Lao's face.

"**It's ironic really. The hate and fear you dealt to her grew. It corroded and corrupted who once was a sister to me into my personal tormentor. And all that torment led to this moment: my apotheosis! All actions have consequences, especially the sinful ones. The situation you're in… well, you have no one to blame but yourself. That's why you get to be first!"**

I finally have the courage to speak. "Taylor…" Her head turns slightly to me, but her eyes never look away from Lao. "Don't kill them. You… you're not like that Taylor. Please."

"**Kill them? Ha! I'm not here to **_**kill **_**people. Heroes don't kill people! They **_**save**_** people, dad." **

"...Save?" I look at the crooks around me, their faces incredulous and confused as my own. "How… how is this saving them?"

She shakes her head. **"Yes, it doesn't look **_**conventional**_** does it? But conventional means have failed. Sure, no one's managed to take down Lung as of yet, but what would they do with him? Ship him off to the Birdcage? Even if he got there, what would that do? Sure, he's not a danger to the oh-so beloved public anymore, but jail is supposed to be a place to… rehabilitate the wicked. Change them so they can fit back in with society. That's the intended goal, right?" **She brandishes her arms out, as if questioning the world around her.

"**But jails and the Birdcage most certainly don't do that. It's simply a time-out, not the "think about what you've done and reflect on that," it's the "we don't want to deal with you anymore, so stay out of sight." For the Birdcage and life imprisonment, it's "stay out of sight until you die." No… That won't do. Prison, the Birdcage, whatever justice the PRT and the Government want is not… effective. It's merely treating a side-effect as the patient worsens. No… I want a solution." **One of her hands folds into a fist and slams into her waiting open palm.** "One that works at the core of the issue, for both society and the people in front of us." **

"**Father, just for you, I'll explain everything. Because after them, it's your turn..." **She steps away from Lao, and beings to walk around me. Again, she never looks at me. She places her hands together below her mouth. **"So how do I put this…" **She grunts. **"Let's start off with the ritual here. I wanted to ensure I had a strong foundation to work from. If I just made an easy portal to the Burning Hells,** **and didn't actively support it, it would simply collapse in a day or two. Even just having a minion support it would make it too easy to get rid of. No, no, no. I want to do it **_**right**_**. I want to make it **_**last.**_** So, instead of any simple portal or infernal gate, I made something a bit more…" **she places a hand on a nearby tooth, **"**_**lively.**_**" **

"Hell? As in the biblical… Hell?"

She_ smiles _again. **"Similar, but not the same. There's no... **_**Lucifer **_**in charge, and God has nothing to do with it. It's more accurately described as the eternal and immortal rotting corpse of an elder demon dragon god. Demons are just the maggots that sort of materialize as they come to feast on it." **She points to herself and chuckles. _**"**_**The form I'm wearing right now is the manifestation of what was left of its seven heads!" **

She shakes her head. **"But I digress." **She taps on the tooth where her hand is. **"The creature I have made here is almost ready. Right now it's feeding off my power, but soon it will be able to sustain itself. When that time comes, the runes will alight, space shall rip, and its mouth will open into Hell itself. That's when it will begin to feed. The skies shall rain fire, and the seas will become as blood! As the beast gorges on the earth, the creature will grow ever vaster, and it will continue on and on until **_**all**_** of Earth is dragged into its gnashing maw. It'll take decades, possibly centuries, but Earth will become merely another extension of **_**Hell.**_** " **

I want to laugh at the insanity of the situation, the words coming out of Taylor's mouth sounding like a ridiculous satire of a fire and brimstone sermon, but she isn't joking. Taylor… Taylor believes she's _the_ devil and that she's creating a monster that will drag everyone into Hell… "But… how is that saving anyone?!"

She tsks. **"I haven't gotten to that part yet, father! I know patience is a virtue, so I applaud you disregarding it, but I'm getting there. The only reason I'm doing that is to make sure the next step is handled both efficiently and expediently. If I didn't create a proper avenue to Hell, I'd have to do most of the work myself. Sure, I **_**could**_**… but that would take much too long. I don't want to spend millennia of my eternity on this one project. With all of Hell pitching in, we'll proceed at a much faster clip. Besides, once we're done, it's not like everyone would want to stay on this pathetic dirt ball..." **

She looks over to Lao. **"You see, I'm going to save the world! I'll save everyone against the threat they all face every day. The underlying reason for all of our problems. The anxiety, the stress of it all! That crushing weight of confusion and indecisiveness. The thing that makes it okay to love one person but absolutely hate the next. To cherish one thing, but to despise another. To wrestle with that choice after the fact and ask yourself, 'Am I doing the right thing or the wrong? Are my feelings right to feel? Or am I as bad as the things I hate?' That tyranny of choice… that splits humanity into so many factions warring with each other over beliefs that tell them what to love and what to hate and what is right and what is wrong. I'm saving them the same way I was saved today. I'm saving everyone from human nature itself." **

"What?"

"**Your kind may not be the children of Inarius and Lilith, but they suffer just the same:" **she holds two hands out, **"the choice of good and evil. But… there is no accepted definition of what that is to this Earth. Everyone thinks they are the hero, that they are on the side of good... no matter how much they hurt others." **Her hands ball into tight fists. **"I will end the tyranny of such a thing, and simplify things for everyone. I will let **_**everyone **_**know what is good and what is evil, and I will let them live in that freedom of sin and chaos! I will make everyone on this world **_**like me**_**."**

She brings her hands in close to her chest. "**These people here, the thugs of the ABB? They're just the first of many. Just as Emma was forged in their crucible of hate to torment me, I will personally torment them in turn until their cries and tears of pain, anguish, and fear become synonymous with screams of joy, happiness, and love. I will make them**_** love**_** what I'm doing to them, and make it to where they will **_**love**_** to do it to others. I will defile their bodies, twist their souls, and corrupt their minds until they are completely indistinguishable from the darkest demons of hell, and then I will let them loose on the rest of humanity. And we will not stop until every human on this world is changed into a kind that can't help but spread our **_**love**_** for each other." **

"**My armies will rise from this maw, and fall upon humanity, dragging them into Hell, their new eternal home. There, people will be corrupted by the thousands each day, their humanity grinded away into dust. By the end of it all, the suffering that humans face day-in and day-out will be gone. They will no longer care for answering that question inside, 'what is right and what is wrong.' They will be content to know the answer. They will be creatures of pure sin and evil, living in the intoxicating moment of one hellish act to another, loving each other through pain and misery and hate, united all under **_**my rule. **_**All of humanity transformed into****one big loving and demonic family." **She raised her hands up as if seeking applause. **"When everyone is a monster, **_**no one will be**_**." **

"That's… that's insane. Taking away what makes them people… That's not saving them! That's destroying them!" I shake my head. "Taylor… what's wrong with you? What happened to my daughter? To the person I love and know?"

She scoffed. **"What's wrong with me? Nothing's wrong with me. Not anymore. Look how beautiful I am now! Look how beautiful I can make other people! Clean and unburdened by everything that ails them." **

"You were already beautiful Taylor..."

She snarls. **"Beautiful? I was an ugly **_**freak**_**. I was a whimpering **_**nothing.**_** My academics were in the toilet, I had no friends, my dreams were dead, and every day it got worse. My world was, ironically, hell! I had **_**no one**_**. And I especially didn't have**_** you**_**. You didn't even **_**know**_**. Only now that I've grown horns and hooves do you ask what happened to me? You don't know me! You never knew me! You haven't even cared to know me since Mom died!" **

"I've… I've always cared about you Taylor. I've always loved you."

"**You've **_**certainly**_** shown that, haven't you? As if! We both know you loved Mom more than me. If you had a choice between me and Mom being alive, I know which one you'd pick. Before today… I'd make the same choice. You would have gotten over my death faster than hers. At least you two could be happy together… You could even make a new daughter if you wanted." **She looks down at the ground; a molten drop falls to the floor. _**"**_**We both know whose fault it is she's dead." **

Mine. It's my fault because of my damn temper. If we didn't have that argument… I shake my head. "Taylor… I never blamed you for Annette's death."

Taylor vanishes in a flash of crimson light. Suddenly, a hand grasps me by my head from behind and lifts me into the air! My head's engulfed by the massive palm, my right eye only able to see in the gap between the giant thumb and finger. The points of a few of her claws dig into the back of my skull, and I grit my teeth in pain as I start to bleed. I look down. Taylor's finally looking at me.

"_**Don't you lie to**_**…" **She stops. _**"**_**Where is it?" **Her eyes dart around, scanning me from head to foot. _**"Where is it!?" **_She shakes her head. _**"That's not possible… **_**They said it would be here! Even Emma said it would be here!**_**" **_She looks back into my eyes, completely incredulous. _**"**_**Even after all I did today… After all I said… You don't hate me… How? Why?" **

"I could never hate you, Taylor."

"**But deep down I always thought… It was me she was trying to call… I was the reason she was on the phone... How can you not hate me for that, when I do?!" **She raises her other hand to her head. **"Shut up. This is more important right now!" **In her anger she tenses and squeezes, her claws going a bit deeper into my head.

"Taylor… you're hurting me…"

She looks at me with a startled expression, and suddenly I'm falling to the ground! I land hard on my feet, and tip over in an ungraceful heap. I lay there, groaning a bit, before getting my bearings. I stare back up at Taylor… and see her staring at her hand, the points of her claws red with a bit of my blood. She looks at me, shaking her head. _**"**_**I didn't… I didn't mean to…" **

She snarls and grabs her head again. _**"I said be quiet! **_**I…" **She freezes. **"Who… who are you?" **She silently mouths a name, and her eyes go wide in recognition. **"I know you. He talked about you. How are you even here? I thought you were gone…" **She pauses, an odd look on her face. **"Who's Uncle Deckard?" **

She stops and looks back at me, and stares for a few long seconds. **"Yes… I don't want that to happen. Not to me like it did to you. I don't want to be this anymore." **Taylor nods and repeats. **"I don't want to be this anymore. I don't want to be this anymore! I don't want to be this **_**anymore**_**!" **She begins to scream. Her hands reach up and grip onto her horns. There's a crack as she begins to pull. _**"I…" **_Pieces of bone begin to fall like powder. _**"...don't want…" **_The sound of meat tearing fills the air._** "..to be this…" **_With a loud snap and rip, the horns are torn off!_** "...anymore!"**_ Her scream echoes in the air as blood pours down her face!

The black mist surrounding us instantly disintegrates. The ground shakes and trembles, as the creature under us shrieks in pain. The thugs are silent no longer, their screams and cries now assaulting my ears.

Slowly, Taylor's red and black skin turns into a dusty brown. A wail of anguish sounds out as the change continues, her body shifting and warping. The fire in her eyes extinguishes, along with the rest of her molten vents. Her body stills when the last patch of crimson is gone… and then she topples over and explodes into a cloud of dust when she hits the ground…

I hear a gasp for air, and as the cloud dissipates, my naked daughter is on the ground, whole and herself once more. I quickly take off my jacket and cover her up, scooping her into my arms.

Her eyes open, filled with guilt, and she stares at me. A whimper escapes her lips, followed by a sob. Her eyes grow wet. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean it. I didn't mean it! I'm sorry, Dad! I'm sorry! Please, you have to believe me… I'm sorry..."

"Shhh… It's okay. It's okay. I forgive you Taylor. I love you. Everything will be alright."

The dam breaks loose, and Taylor just cries into my shoulder. Soon she's asleep in my arms, and in the distance, I can see heroes of the Protectorate closing in. I take one look down at my Taylor… and in my heart I knew, there was a kernel of truth to some of the things she said...

* * *

A ball of fire falls from the sky. It slams into one of the last standing skyscrapers, the metal tower screeching as it topples over in a cloud of debris. More flaming orbs descend on the fallen city, some hitting destroyed buildings, others simply slamming into broken roads or empty lots.

Red drops fall from the sky followed by small chunks of meat, signifying the beginning of a blood rain. The ruins of the city are painted once more in a splattering of crimson and viscera. The rain grows into a monsoon, and within minutes the streets are turned into bright red rivers.

Screams echo out as the choir of pain begins today's joyful lesson. The beast growls in amusement from the music, its titanic teeth casting a shadow over entire neighborhoods. The day when its maw will swallow what remains of Brockton Bay fast approaches.

The master of this whole event sits lazily on her throne of bone and scrap, resting after a long day of working on the latest batch. She looks over to me, and stares into my eyes with her molten glowing orbs.

"**Behold…" **Her demonic face melts away into a human face. My face. "...our future."

* * *

I wake up screaming in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room. Laughter echoes in my head. My hands grip my face tightly as the Seven begin to taunt me once more. I focus on what Leah told me to do, and push against them. "Go away. Go away! I don't want to hear you anymore!" My head tenses as I push. A bizarre sensation fills my head, something gives… and the voices are gone.

I take a few deep breaths as I calm down, elated that it actually worked. No longer distracted by my demons, I finally notice I'm in a bed similar to one you'd find in a hospital. But everything in the room beyond the bed is fuzzy and muddled to my sight.

That's right… I don't have my glasses anymore. My eyes fill with tears as what happened afterwards filters through my head. I… I gave in. I lost myself… and I almost… I almost did unforgivable things. A mouth to hell, torturing people until they lost their humanity, moments away from killing Dad…

A tear falls down my face. Dad's skull was practically an egg in my hand. I was a twitch away from patricide… I… I always wanted to be a cape, to have powers so I could be a hero, but I never wanted to become the cape equivalent of the _antichrist._ I let out a morose laugh.

God… I never felt so alone.

"_Alone..." _An old voice echoes in my mind.

I shake my head. No! They can't be back this soon! I'm not going to be you again, Diablo! I'll never be you! Ever!

"_Hmm. I am not he. Who is this Diablo you speak of, young one?" _

I pause. The voice didn't sound like the Seven at all.

"_The only ones here are you and I." _

I nod, and swallow the spit in my mouth. Why are you in my head?

"_I do not know. I remember… dying. I gave my life for my people, my world. I expected to be reunited with the fallen in death. To be with her once again… but I am not. I am here." _

You… you died?

"_Yes. But do not mourn me, young one. I lived my life, and my death served a purpose. I do not know why I am here, but there is a reason for it. You were speaking to another, yes? A… Diablo?"_

I thought you were him… I… How do I explain? A lot happened today…

"_This situation is similar to another I know of: two consciousnesses sharing a single mind. Perhaps, you could show me the memories of today?" _

How do I… Wait… they did that to me with their memories... Could I? I think of what I ate for breakfast. Can you see that?

"_Yes. Hmm." _A memory of a vast star enters my mind, its bright light being suffused in shadow and darkness. Eventually its entire form is shrouded, and it becomes as black as the space around it. What is that?

"_The birth of a negative-sun." _

He continues at my apparent confusion.

"_A normal star changing into an entity composed entirely of dark matter. It is one of my most cherished memories amongst my many journeys."_

...I showed you a bowl of cereal and you show me a type of star no one has ever heard of… Wait, you travel through space?

"_Yes, as do my people."_

You're… you're an _alien!?_

"_From my perspective, you are the alien, little Terran." _He says with a mirthful tone. _"We have spoken long enough, and an introduction is past due. I am the Dark Prelate, Zeratul. Who are you, young one?" _

...I'm Taylor Hebert. Uh… just Taylor Hebert.

"_Greetings, Just Taylor Hebert." _

Um…That's not what I meant?

"_You stated you wished to be a hero? Are heroes of your people not just?" _

I… mean… yeah. But I don't think I deserve a title like that. I don't think I could ever be a hero at this point... Not with this power…

"_Hmm…" _

I shake my head. So, Terran? That's a name used mostly in science fiction for humans… You've met other humans before?

"_Indeed. I have met many. Some have become the staunchest friends; others have become the most bitter of enemies." _

... If that's the case, what are you?

"_I am Protoss. You have not heard of my kind before?" _

No. There's… there's no other aliens on Earth. I mean, unless you count Scion, but that's mostly just conspiracy theories. I'm pretty sure… this is a first contact sort of thing.

"_Earth? We are a far distance from my home, indeed. What of the United Earth Directorate? Have they not spoken of their campaigns in the Koprulu Sector?" _

An image pops into my mind of hammerhead spaceships hovering over a snowy planet, the symbol of a bird sitting on Earth plastered on their sides.

United what? Earth's never had a world government. I've never heard of a Koprulu Sector either. We've never even left our solar system! The best we've done is gone to the moon.

"_...What year is it, young Hebert? In your Terran calendar?"_

...Two-thousand eleven?

"_I… see." _

Is something wrong?

'_Where I come from, young Hebert, it is the two-thousand five-hundred and sixth year of your calendar.'_

Well, that figures… you're from an alternate universe.

"_My pardon?"_

The… last voice in my head… Diablo. He's… Well, he's basically the Devil. But he's the Devil of Hell that exists elsewhere. He knew about humans, but they were from, I think, a different planet? Sanctuary is more like Narnia or Middle-Earth. It's definitely not like Bet or Aleph or anything.

"_You know of different Earths? Intriguing." _

Yeah, it was this whole... thing…

"_Enlightening…" _

I groan, and send him over the memories of whatever I recalled about Professor Haywire.

"_Closer to the matter at hand, you said you… became this Diablo? Earlier when you thought I was him..._"

I fumble with the sheet in my hands, before silently sending him the memory of today. It's quiet, and I simply sit there in the awkward silence of both being alone and knowing I have company.

"_I believe I understand now. This Diablo… the power to turn into him. It is a dark power. One you have little control over. One that if you do not control, it will control you." _

Yeah…

"_I now know the reason why I am here, young one." _

Why?

A memory of a feminine figure comes to me. They have no mouth, no nose, but a glowing pair of eyes that stare straight through me. "Hundreds of years ago, I was taught by him." She points to a statue of a similar figure, this one wearing golden armor, in one of his hands sits a shining blue crystal, and in the other a dark and green one. "As Adun taught me, I will teach you young ones. To harness the darkness inside of ourselves is no easy feat. It requires discipline, focus, and unwavering will. You must be dedicated, or else you will be overwhelmed..." The memory fades.

"_You said that I was like him. A voice in your head. Your body shifted into his form, and you had his powers at your command, so it should stand to reason the same is for me." _

My eyes widen.

"_You doubt yourself; doubt that you have what it takes to be a hero of your people. But, is that not what you want? To be a hero for others? From the memories you have shared, I have seen that the heroes of your culture are people who fight injustice in this world. They fight for others' sake, so the weak are always protected. Is that your dream? Is that what you want? _

"I… yes. That's what I want."

"_Then your path is set. I will help you control this power, control this darkness. My blade and wisdom are yours."_

What? You want to help me? Just like that?

"_Yes." _

"But I failed!"

"_Failure is only permanent if you let it be. All living things suffer failure. It is up to you to learn from it. Do you wish to learn?" _

I… "Yeah. I do."

"_Then I will teach you in my ways. Allow me to begin with this. Earlier this day, you felt alone?"_

I simply nod.

"_On this path, you will never be alone." _

An image of a figure with glowing green eyes comes to my mind.

"_For your heart will be bound by honor… tradition."_

Across from him stands an army of monsters.

"_Battle is waged in the name of the many."_

All at once they rush towards him.

"_You are one of the brave." _

A green blade erupts from the figure's gauntlet, as he charges toward the oncoming swarm.

"_Those who generation after generation choose the mantle of…" _

Other figures suddenly appear as if stepping out of the shadows themselves, and join him in his charge.

"_...Dark Templar." _

As their blades meet the carapace of the invaders, memories of the figure swim through my mind. A bolt of green lightning fills the room, and my body begins to change.

* * *

AN: A big thank you to my Betas, specifically Nemo and apalos, for their work on reviewing this chapter!


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